(Note: Please click on the PDF link above for complete list of signees)
RENO, Nev. The Nevada football team, fresh off its second-straight bowl appearance, announced the signing of 16 high school standouts to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday. Combined with three transfers signed in December, the Wolf Pack has inked 19 players to join the program in the fall.
“We are very pleased with this year’s class,” head coach Chris Ault said. “We feel we addressed the areas that we emphasized and we believe our overall team speed will improve with this year’s class.”
Recruiting coordinator Jim Mastro said the focus of this year’s class was on the offensive line and linebacking corps as more than half of this year’s class fits into the group.
“When you project our needs in the future, offensive line and linebacker were the two positions we felt we had to get this year. And we nailed it,” Mastro said.
On the offensive side, Nevada signed a running back, two wide receivers and a tight end to go along with the six offensive linemen. Defensively, the Wolf Pack brought in three linemen, four linebackers and two defensive backs.
Of the 19 players in the recruiting class, all but one played on winning or championship programs, Ault said.
“Getting players who come from established, winning programs is of great importance to us,” Ault said.
The Wolf Pack signed six offensive linemen with four coming from the high school ranks. Two are Arizona products in John Romero and Steve Haley, both recruited by offensive coordinator Chris Klenakis. The other two Californians in Chance Sigala, a Fresno native recruited by Barry Sacks, and Jeff Meads, a highly rated prospect from San Ramon Valley who missed his senior year because of a knee injury. He was recruited by Mastro.
In the linebacking corps, the other top focus for the Pack, Nevada brought in four highly athletic prospects. Brandon Marshall signed with Nevada out of Cimarron-Memorial High in Las Vegas, which is one of the top programs in the state. Marshall, who was recruited by Ken Wilson, recorded nine sacks last year for the Spartans. Sacks recruited James-Michael Johnson out of Fairfield, Calif. Johnson recorded 5.5 sacks, two blocked field goals, a fumble recovery and an interception last year.
First-year assistant coach Charlie Camp, who will coach inside linebackers at Nevada, brought in a pair of recruits in Deantae Green and Joe Easter. Green was a two-way standout at Mission Bay High in San Diego. Easter, from Mayfair High School in Bellflower, Calif., led St. John Bosco High School with 62 tackles in the fall.
In the defensive backfield, Nevada signed a pair of recruits in Jon Ott and Mose Denton. Ott, recruited by Klenakis out of Glendale Ariz., excelled on offense, defense and special teams at Mountain Ridge High School. Denton played receiver and defensive back at Mayfair High in Lakewood, Calif. As a receiver he averaged more than 12 yards per reception with one touchdown. Defensively, he recorded 47 tackles and two interceptions. He was recruited by Kim McCloud.
On the defensive front, Nevada inked three prospects in Scott Frisbie, Zack Madonick and Daryll Hill. Frisbie, recruited by Scott Baumgartner, had 46 tackles and three sacks for El Dorado High, which went 13-1 last season. Madonick, recruited by Mastro, led San Ramon Valley to a 10-2 mark as a senior last year and Hill, recruited by Baumgartner, also plays basketball at Kenneday High School.
Nevada signed three running backs a year ago and has just one in this year’s class in Lampford Mark, a 6-1, 196-pounder recruited by Sacks out of Fresno, Calif. As a senior last year, Marks rushed for 966 yards and nine touchdowns at Buchanan High.
The Wolf Pack also added three pass-catchers to the team in receivers Shane Anderson and Travionte Session as well as juco tight end Brent Keaster. Anderson scored 16 touchdowns as a senior at Saguaro High in Scottsdale, Ariz., and he was recruited by Klenakis. McCloud recruited Session out of powerhouse Long Beach Poly after Session caught 24 passes for 510 yards and three touchdowns as a senior last year.
Ault said Nevada is still very much in the “recruiting mode” and could sign more prospects later this year.
